Finger separating and leveling device for loom dobbies



' Dec. 20, 1927. v 1,653,193

I K. J. UNWIN FINGER SEPARATING AND LEVELING DEVICE FOR LOOM DOBBIES Filed Auz. 24. 1926 ceeds,

5 with respect to the pegs.

Patented Ilse. 2t i927.

uni-tee STATES IQENIFIETH J. UIiIiViN. 0F SHREWSBURY, MASSACH'ZTSETTS,

PAT

1 1,653,193 ENE" orrice.

KNGW'LES LQQM WORKS, OF WORCESTER, I VIASSACHUSEITS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

FINGER SEIARATIIIG AND LEVELING DEVICE FOR LOOM DGIBBIES.

Application filed August 24, 1926. Serial No. 131.291.

This invention relates to improvements in loom dobbies and leveling devices therefor and it is the principal object of the invention to provide a combined leveling, and separating element to cooperate with dobby fingers such as may be formed from sheet metal.

Loom dobbies are usually provided with a pattern chain having spaced pegs which lift so-called fingers when the harnesses corresponding thereto are to be raised. The fingers are narrow and in order to provide for proper registry with the pegs it is necessary to equip the dobby with some form of comb which will space the fingers accurately This is usually accomplished by means of a comb having upthe customary thinends and also allow for the leveling action I provide an oscillatable leveling element having dents which align with alternate fingers to separate the intermediate fingers.

It is a further object of my invention to provide means for properly aligning the fingers when the leveling device is rotated for the purpose of raising the fingers.

Withv these and other objects in view which will appear as the descriptionpromy invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth inthe claims.

In the accompanying drawings wherein I have shown. a convenient embodiment of'my i extending substantially straight and having sup--- porting contact with the lower end of one invention,

Fig. 1 is a verticalcentral section through a dobby having my invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail horizontal section on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section through the lower portion of one of the fingers taken, on line 3 -3 of Fig. 1, w

Figs. 4: and 5 are elevations of the two types of fingers employed for the lower and upper hooks, respectively,

fragmentary view similar to a right wireswhich lie between reduced parts gers indicated at and 41;,as

portion-of Fig. 1 but showing the leveling device in finger raising position,

Fig. 7' is a detail end elevation of a portion of the dobby looking in the direction of arrow 7-, Fig. 1, and

YFig. 8 is a perspective view of the leveling device.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that I have number of harness jacks one of which is indicated at 20. Said jacks move pivotally about a'rod 21 fixed in the frame D and are connected as at 22 to' dobby back levers 23.

Each lever 23 is connected at the upper pm,

thereofto a. hook 2st to cooperate with upper reciprocating knife 25 while the lower end of each lever 23 has a hook 26 to cooperate with lower reciprocating knife 27. The knives reciprocate horizontally in opposite directions by mechanism not shown but well understood. Movement of the levers 23 to't-he'left provided-a dobby frame D and assreivon TO cnoiurroive as shown in Fig. 1 is limited by bars 28 and combs 29 space and guide the hooks. The

pattern mechanism for controlling the harness leverscomprises a cylinder 30 mounted on a shaft 31 and cooperating with a series of chain bars 32'each of which is provided with'pegs 33 arranged in such order as will produce the desired weave. "The matter thus far described'is usual in dobby construction and forms no part of my present invention.

The fingers made up of two distinct types of finshown in Figs. 4 and 5, respectively. Each finger l0 is provided at the right hand end thereof with an enlargement 42 to add weight and is provided atthe other end thereof with an upwardly curved tail 43 positioned for direct engagement with one or another of the lower hooks 26. I

Eachfinger 41 is providedwith a tail ,44 and horizontallv from the finger of asetof lifter rods 45 forthe upper hooks 24. Both types offingers are pro vided with notches 46 which receive a suppegs 33 cooperate with a set of dobby 7 porting rod 47 fixed in the dobby frame and upward displacement ,ofzthe fingers may be I prevented by a vwire 48 lying immediately tially parallel to the rod .47. I

1 The fingers 4.0 as shown 4 are pro:

above the fingers and.extending substan level the harnesses vided with a cut-away portion 49 while the corresponding portion of the other type of finger 41 as shown in Fig. 5 is left solid and is not cut away, the purpose of the cut-away portions 49 being-to receive guides to be described hereinafter. Tlie fingers as already described may be similar to those shown in co-pending application Ser. No. 131,290 tiled by Holmes.

In carrying my invention into etlect I provide each of the fingers with a small notch 50 on the underside thereof and further provide a leveling device L formed in part with a substantially horizontal blade 51 to cooperate with the notches 50. As shown in Fig. 8 said bladeisprovided with a number of slots and teeth lying between the slots. The leveling device is provided with a pair of bearing portions 54 the upper and lower surtacesot which are horizontal as shown in Figs. 1. andS toreceive the downward pressure of that part of the fingers lying immediately to the left of the notches 50. l he weight of the fingers, co-acting with the fiat surface oi the leveling device, tends to hold the latter in proper position. The leveling device is provided with depending handles 55 which coope ate with supporting bearings 56 held to the frame D, said bearings and handles preventing endwise motion of the leveling device to hold the same in proper alignment with the fingers.

Said leveling device as shown in Figs. 1, 6, 7, and 8 is further provided with a plurality oi? spaced dents 57 so proportioned that when in the normal position indicated in Fig. 1 said dents will lie in the cutaway portions 49 oi the lingers 4O and will serve to space the fingers 41 by having guiding contact with the extreme lower right hand ends of said fingers as viewed in Fig. 1.

Under normal conditions the cylinder 30 will rotate and by nieans'of the pegs 33 will cause a raising and lowering of the fin.-

gers 40 and 41 in the order necessary to produce the desired weave, said fingers 41 being guided in their vertical motion by the dents 57 and thetingers 4 being positioned by the fingers 41. hen it 1s desired to the leveling element L will be moved from the position'shown in Fig. 1 to that indicated in Fig. 6', thefingers 41 being received by theslots 52 0f the blade 51 and the teeth 53engagingthe" fingers 40. in order tofacilitate thisaction a portion of each of the fingers 40'lying between the notch 50 and the'run ior' thepeg 33 is removed as'indicated at 58 so that the fingers 41 may be received by th'e'slots 52 before the fingers 40 start torise. As indicated in Fig. 6 the dents '57 pass entirely out or the cutsaway portions 49 and out'of alignment with any part of the fingers but this does not happennntil after the fingers 41 have been received by the slots 52 and therefore improper alignment of the fingers is prevented even though the dents 57 are not operatively positioned to space the fingers. u the leveler L the teeth 53 and that part of the blade located at the bottom of the slots will be received by the small notches 50 of both types of blades so that the leveling device will be held in the position indicated in Fig. 6 by the weight of the fingers.

When the lingers are returned to normal position the leveling device can be moved out of the notches 50 by a slight pressure on one or another oi the handles 55 and all of the fingers will be properly aligned by the slots until the dents 57 enter the cutaway portions 49 between the fingers 41. In this way the fingers are kept properly aligned during the leveling action so that the dents 57 may return to their proper position without interference by the fingers 41. Both types of fingers are provided wth concave runs 59 to aid in maintaining proper registry with the pattern chain pegs.

From the "foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a leveling device for a dobby equipped with fingers ot uni term thickness wherein the leveling element is provided with spaced. dents so placed as to align the fingers ot' the dobby with the patterirmechanism. It will further be seen that the leveling element is so constructed that when the dents move out of relation with respect to the fingers auxiliary or additional spacwill be apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope oi the invention, and I do not w sh to be limited'to the details herein disclosed but what I claim is:'

1. In aloom dobby, a set of dobby fingers, a leveling element tor the dobby toengage said fingers during the leveling operation, and-means carried by the leveling element to space thefingers. y

2. In a loom dobby having harness levers and pattern mechanism and a set of dobby fingers, alternate fingers being'out away at one portion thereof and the intermediate fingers being solid at the corresponding portions, a leveling element having 3 130141011 normally out of engagementwith all the fingers andhaving dents to enter thecut- Bv continued turning movement of 2 one portion thereof away portions" of the alternate fingers to guide the intermediate fingers, the aforesaid portion of the element being movable into engagement with the fingers to raise all of saidfingers to levelwthe dobby.

3. In:a loom dobby having harness levers and pattern" mechanism and a set of dobby fingers, alternate fingers being cut away at one portion thereof and the intermediate fingers being: solid at thecorrespondingpor tions; a leveling elen1ent-having a portion normally out ofengagement with all the fingers and havingwdents to enter the'cut away portions of thealternate fingersto guide the intermediate :fingers, the aforesaid portion of the element being movable into engagementwith the 'fingersto raise all of said fingers to level the dobby, said portion of the leveling element being formed to separate and guide the fingers dnringthe leveling operation.

4. In a loom dobby having harnesslcvers and pattern mechanisnrand a set ofdobby fingers,alternate fingers being cut away at and the intermediate fingers being solid at tbe'corresponding p0rtions, a levelingelement having a portion .norn'ially outof engagement with all the fingers and havingwdentsuto enterthe cutaway portions of the alternate fingers to guide the intermediate -fingers, the aforesaid portion of the elementhbeing movable into engagement pwith the fingers to raise all of said fingers to level the dobby.

5. In a loom dobby having harness levers and pattern mechanism and a set of dobby fingers, alternate fingers being cut away at one portion thereof and the intermediate fingers being solid at the corresponding portions, a leveling element to support the fingers and movable to raise all of said fiingers and having spaced dents rigid therewith to enter the cut-away portions of the alternate fingers.

6. In a loom dobby having harness levers and pattern mechanism and a set of dobby fingers, alternate fingers being cut away at one portion thereof and the intermediate fingers being solid at the corresponding portions, a leveling element having two sets of finger separating members, one set being operative during the normal operation of the dobby and the other set being operative during the leveling operation of the dobby.

7 In a loom dobby having harness levers and pattern mechanism and a set of dobby fingers, alternate fingers being cut away at one portion thereof and the intermediate fingers being solid at the corresponding portions, a leveling element having two sets of finger separating members, one set being operative during the normal operation of the dobbyand the other set being operative during the leveling operation of the dobby,

one portion thereof and the intermediate fingers being solid at the corresponding portions, a leveling element having two sets of'fingers separatingelements, one set operati vely related to the fingers during'the normal operation of the dobby and the other set .operatively related to" the fingers when the dobby is i being-leveled, eachset of fingers being; movable out of guiding relm tion' with respect to thefingers. and each set effective when being movedout of guiding relation to guide the fingers :until the'other set comes into guidingarelationwith respect to the fingers. a 9. Ina loom dobby having harness levers fingers, alternate-fingers being cut away at one portion thereof andthe 1 intermediate fingers beingsolid at the corresponding "portions, aleveling devicehavi-ngfinger sepa ratingimembers to enter the cut away parts of thealternate -fingers,-and a: blade formed with the leveling element 'to engage the fin gers as the element is moved to leveling position, said blade entering notches formed on the under sides of all the fingers to hold said fingers in raised. position. r

10. In a loom dobby having harness levers and pattern mechanism and a set of dobby fingers, alternate fingers being cut away at one portion thereof and the intermediate fingers being solid at the corresponding portions a leveling device having finger separating members to enter the cut-away parts of the alternate fingers, and a blade formed with the leveling element to engage the fingers as the element is moved to leveling position, said blade entering notches formed on the under sides of all the fingers to hold said fingers in raised position, that portion of the fingers with the cut-away parts which ooopcrates with the blade being relatively higher than the corresponding portionsof the other fingers.

11. In a loom dobby, a set of fingers, aleveling element to support a part of each of the fingers, and bearings for the element, that part of the element on which the fingers rest being substantially flat so that the weight of said fingers will hold the leveling device normally in a position inoperative to level the dobby.

12. In a loom dobby, a set ofdobby fingers, a leveling element to support a part of each of the fingers,.and bearings for the element, that part of the element on which the fingers the weight of said fingers will hold the leveling device normally in a position inoperative to level the dobby, those parts of the element which rest on the bearings being also substantially fiat.

13. A leveling element for a dobby having a set of fingers, alternate fingers of which are provided with cut-away portions, said element having a set oi dents to enter the cut-away portions of the alternate fingers and said element having another portion movable into engagement with all the fingers to raise the same when the dobby is to be leveled.

14. A leveling element for a dobby having a'set of fingers, alternate fingers of which are provided with cut-away portions, said element having a set of dents to enter the cut-away portions of the alternate fingers and said. element having another portion movable into engagement with all the fingers to raise the same when the dobby is to be leveled, said element having bearing portions about which the same may be rotated to move the leveling portion thereof into engagement with the fingers.

15. A leveling element for a dobby having a set of fingers alternate fingers of which are provided with cutaway portions, said element having a set of dentsto enter the cut-away portions of the alternate fingers rest being substantially fiat so that and said element having another portion movable into engagement withall the fingers to raise thesame when the dobby is to be leveled, said element having bearing portions about which the same may be rotated to move the leveling'portion thereof into engagement with the fingers and the dents out of operative relation with respect to the fingers. i v

a 16:, A leveling element for a dobby having a set of fingers, alternate fingers of which are provided with cut-away portions, said element having a set of dents to enter the cut-away portions of the alternate fingers and said element having another portion movable into engagement with all the fingers to raise the same when the dobby is to be leveled, said elementhaving bearing portions about which the same may be rotated to move the leveling portion thereof into engagement with the fingers, the upper portion of the bearings being flat to receive the downward pressure of the fingers.

17. A leveling element for a loom dobby having a set of dobby fingers, said element having a portion to engage and raise the fingers during the leveling operation and said element also having members to space the fingers during the normal operation of the dobby.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

' KENNETH J. UNWIN. 

